A Cardano block is a collection of transactions that are grouped together and verified as a unit. It's similar to a page in a ledger. Each block contains a hash, which is a unique cryptographic code that identifies the block and its contents. Once a block is created, it's added to the blockchain, which is a public, distributed database. This process is known as block production. The creation of new blocks is carried out by staking pools, which are groups of individuals who contribute their ADA to secure the network. Blocks play a crucial role in the Cardano network by recording transactions, ensuring security, and providing a historical record.
Block 8686426 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 90737643 epoch_slot_no: 276843 block_no: 8686249 slot_leader_id: 4556351 size: 3039 time: 2023-04-24 02:38:54 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x0bc7f4365e7d83a88862f29e0eed1b05374549bc8707d2caf77b1ba980949d0aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1vpf2x74q4rz5ypeekn4vx7rnddfygwjg2mgkukmgque84c7dhyxqgz7zas op_cert: \x1f14c07df070635ebe52f29fac2772fdd5e2d03ef07ff5b8add0038f45ba1d60 op_cert_counter: 21